Anathema of the Night
by Virtual-Kiss
Summary: First fanfic in quite a while. A young girl cursed by an overwhelming power by birth is saved by Yusuke and Kurama and takes sanctuary at Genkai's in order to avoid a villian as myserious as her own past.
1. Prologue

Anathema of the Night

Okay, I have not writtin much fanfiction since middle school, but I hope this story comes out as well as I have imagined it. Please review! I'm not sure why it does not show the tab; is anyone else having this problem? If any of you guys know how to fix it, please contact me! I suppose for now I will just double space between paragraphs...

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho.

Prologue: Hoshi's Wish

"Please Koenma sir! I couldn't bare the thought of my child having to carry the same burden as I did. I don't want that for her. I'll do anything to protect her from that, even if-," The woman clutched a small bundle of cloth to her chest as she began to sob. Her dark, lank hair fell forward covering her tear-stained face from King Yamma's son. "Please, please," the woman begged, her words choked by her tears.

The ruler of spirit world gazed upon the woman's desperate state, concern etched across his visage. He sighed, weighing the consequences of what the woman was asking him to do and what would happen if he did not fulfill her request. Finally, he stood. "Hoshi, you understand that if you want her to be fully shielded from the fate that awaits your child, you may never see her again. She can never know who you are, or anything about her true origins. She will have to be completely cut off from Makai and reside in the human world for the remainder of her life. You do understand this?"

Hoshi gave a howl of despair and nodded, not able to form the words of agreement.  
"Well then," Koenma continued, "I will take your daughter and hide her from the horrors that should belong to her in later years as long as I can, but if we are going to do so, we must do so quickly." He clapped his hands twice and a woman with hair as blue as the morning sky entered, a long oar in her hand.

"Yes Koenma?"

"Botan, take this woman's child and find a home for her in the human world. Make sure no one sees you and never utter a word of this to anyone."

Several moments passed before she spoke. "Of course Koenma." Botan waited until Hoshi kissed the bundle once, speaking soft comforts as she did so and held it to the ferry woman. Botan reluctantly took the parcel away from the mourning mother and making sure she had a secure hold, flew from Koenma's office on her oar.

Hoshi stood, her face now completely dry. She shed no more tears; in fact, her face was completely expressionless. Her once shimmering silver eyes had become dull gray orbs of mystery. "Thank you, Koenma." She never said a word as she extracted a short ornate dagger from the inside folds of her midnight blue kimono. Before the Spirit World ruler could utter a word of protest, she plunged the blade deep into her heart. Blood seeped slowly from the wound as Hoshi's lifeless body made contact with the cold floor of the office; a sorrowful smile was the only trace of emotion on the deceased woman's face.

Koenma sighed wearily, knowing fully well that a Hoshi's spirit would not rise, nor will it ever. "I suppose she knew this was the only escape, tragic as it is."


	2. Ch I: A Perfect Bad Day Remedy

**Anathema of the Night**

Okay, so I finally finished typing chappie number one! Hope you like. It's pretty short, fast paced, and not nearly as good as it was when it was in my head, but please read and review anyway. It is greatly appreciated!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho.

Chapter I: A Perfect Bad Day Remedy

"I don't know what I did wrong! Everything was fine until I tried to be a gentleman!"

"What exactly happened?"

"I was trying to be nice by telling her she had a nice rack, and she got all huffy, so I told her not to get all bitchy. Then she starts yelling, dumps her drink on me, and storms off!"

"So you are saying it was the same old song and dance."

A male youth sighed, running his hand through his dark hair. "Yeah. I guess so." He paused, and then let out an exasperated yell, balling his fists as he did so. "Argh! Why do girls have to be so freakin' difficult?" He continued to rant, more to himself rather than the boy with long, fiery hair walking parallel to him.

The two teens were in the least popular region of the city. The region of the city that was inhabited by the questionable. Gangs festered in every alley way, hookers hung in every corner, and the penny-less hid within their cardboard shelters, only surfacing to beg. The streets were littered with bits of paper. The crunch of glass could be heard under the pressure one's foot. The smell of filth and decay laced the air. The only light came from the neon signs of the various bars and brothels. Despite all the possible danger of this side of town, the boys feared it not.

As a good friend does, the red head listened intently and shared his opinion only when the other stopped for a breath. He saw an opportunity to speak arise; choosing his words carefully, he spoke. "Yusuke, I don't think that was the right kind of…compliment Kieko was looking for."

"So you're saying I should have told her she was flat as a day old soda? Kurama, that's just stupid," Yusuke said flatly.

Kurama laughed lightly. "You misunderstood me. I meant that I think she was hoping to hear something a little more romantic."

"Why can't girls just be more like guys? We don't care about romance," Yusuke said, placing a mocking tone on the last word.

"Well, I suppose if women were more like men, we would all be gay."

"You're not my type."

Kurama laughed again, shaking his head at his friend's style of thinking. "Still, are you planning on apologizing to Kieko?"

Yusuke scowled a bit. He shoved his hands in his pockets, looking up at the night sky noticing that the moon was nowhere in sight. "I don't know. I guess. Or maybe I should just break it off. In the past month it seems that all that Kieko and I have done is argued." His mind wandered back to a particular nasty fight taking place in the previous week; the result being a sobbing Kieko and a drugged up Yusuke.

Kurama watched his friend delve into thought; he remained silent, choosing to glance at the graffitied walls beside him rather than interrupt Yususke's concentration. After several moments, Kurama finally saw Yusuke's harsh expression soften and opened his mouth to speak calm words of comfort and wisdom as was his custom to do. Before he could form any sound however, a woman's shattering scream pierced the night's silence. Both boys' heads snapped up at the alarm of the shriek, their eyes ser with instinctive determination to help the source of the call. They ser off at a run, the thrashing noises of a scuffle growing louder until the volume grew to full blast as they reached the destination they sought. As Yusuke and Kurama stood at eth mouth of a littered alley, they could just barely distinguish five darkened figures.

A teenage girl was trying her best to ward off four, rather strange looking creatures. The four things were all identical; serpent-like fingers were attached to the ends of elongated, somewhat crooked arms. Their hunched bodies were set on legs that were just as crooked as their arms; their feet were slightly over-sized and curled ever so faintly at the toe. Their heads were humanoid in shape, but had a wispy 'horn' on each side and a crest of unknown origin gleamed silver on the centre of their foreheads. The four sets of intense red eyes were kept on their prey as they succeeded in restraining her from movement; their fangs glinted mischievously as they broke out in wicked, high-pitched laughter. Besides the glow of silver and red, the monsters were pitch-black, blending in quite well with the shadows of the alley.

"Hey!" Yusuke yelled as on of the shadow demons forcefully gripped its quarry around the neck. She gave a stifled choke, shutting her eyes as tight as possible in an attempt to block out the pain of her constricted windpipe. Two more held each of her arms; the fourth stood behind the girl, its left hand clamped firmly around her mouth while it entangled its right in her long hair. All of them turned at the sound of Yusuke's commanding voice, shooting annoyed glares at the human who dared to interrupt their little 'game.' "What the hell are you doing here?" he continued, "you obviously don't belong here, so go back to…wherever! Unless you prefer to get you asses kicked by your's truly." He raised his fists; beside him Kurama also took a defensive position. Yusuke's eyebrows furrowed. First, he got into an argument with his girlfriend, now he had to deal with demons wrecking havoc in the human world. This was turning out to be a lovely day.

The demon attempting to choke the girl was apparently the leader of the group for when he made garbled noises that had a authoritative tone attached, two of his comrades launched themselves at the Spirit Detective and Kitsune, snarling incoherently as the did so.

Yusuke lunged forward as well, intending to take on the monster head on. Strategy was never really his thing. He threw his right arm into the hardest punch he could muster, but instead of colliding with his opponent, he merely phased through it. He stumbled, barely managing to regain his balance. He turned quickly, not wanting to risk having his back exposed for too long. He was beginning to realize that maybe a strategy wouldn't be such a bad thing now and then. The least he could know was what exactly they were up against.

Kurama, on the other hand, was fairing fairly well by avoiding his opponent's attacks. He dodged flawlessly, his body moving fluidly, his fiery hair trailing gracefully behind. His rival snarled, utterly frustrated that he could not catch the graceful fox. He attempted one last lunge which ended in his demise due to the infamous Rose Whip that painfully ripped him in half. The creature gave a shrill shriek as its two halves dissipated in mid air. The one fighting Yusuke, who was never aware of the fate that had fallen upon his partner, also disappeared as the rose death hit him. Kurama stood up straight, his weapon rolled up in his hand. He brushed back a strand of stray hair. "Well Yusuke, they obviously can't be defeated by mere physical strength. I'll let your Spirit Gun do the rest of the work."

The two remaining demons growled, clenching their claws around the girl whose eyes were wide. Whether it was from terror or amazement was unknown. The beasts violently threw the girl down. The only noise that escaped came not from her breath, but from the crack of her skull as she hit the pavement; she lay unconscious, her limbs sprawled out in a way that made her body look almost sacrificial.

Yusuke smirked somewhat as he raised his arm, his hand pointed as if it were a gun. Beating down random demons who took teenage girls hostage in dark alley ways on a Saturday night was a great way to relieve the stress caused by earlier events.

"Eat this, mother fuckers!"

A brilliant blue light shot out of his index finger; it was his signature move, the Spirit Gun. The night creepers never had a chance as Yusuke's released spirit energy tore a hole through their middles.

After the area became shady again, Kurama knelt down beside the girl. "She'll be okay, but we should probably get her out of this vicinity. Those demons were not just targeting her for the fun of it."

Yusuke, playing the hero, easily picked the girl up in his arms. He looked up, sinister gray clouds blanketed the night sky; rain began to fall, ever so slightly. "Kuwabara's house is closest." By the time the two boys and girl had started down the street, the rain was pelting down, leaving all three of their skin red from the sting of the water's contact.

* * *

High above the recent scene, a tall, slender figure of the male gender stood on a rooftop over looking the alley. His dark silhouette was almost invisible against the gloomy night sky. Before the rain had even started, he was gone. 


	3. Ch II: She Lives in Hell

**Anathem of the Night**

Alright, sorry this took so long. I had a horrible bout of writer's block, then I got grounded, and then I had to start my summer homework. I'm still not done with my school work, and now that the dreaded day of school draws closer, I don't know when then next time I will update will be. As I am a senior and have only two core classes, I should have enough free time to write, but I won't make any promises! Much love! Enjoy!

Chapter II: She Lives in Hell

The temple appeared to be Grecian in structure, though the pinpoint reason why was hard to place. The style just had the air of shrine dedicated for one of the many gods in mythology. Its stone walls were brilliantly bathed in an unnatural silver aura. The floor mostly comprised with the same cool stone, with the exception of several, evenly space circular patches of earth that served home to shining yew saplings; their gnarled trunks twisted out of the ground, yet looked smooth in texture. On both sides of the temple clear, crisp water flowed from the mouths of stone wolves. The small sliver of moon that shone from the empty area where a ceiling should have been let its pale, pearly light pool in the centre of the building, illuminating a high sterling altar.

The altar consisted of a platform, three pillars, and a circular ring that sat atop the columns like a glorious, lunar crown. The base was surrounded by flowers so white, they emanated a vampyric glow; their soft petals swayed gently in the cool evening breeze. Gold vines had been welded around the pillars, their tiny leaves twinkled and the yellow coloured flowers contained a miniscule diamond in the centre. The silver crown of the altar was engraved with ancient runes, all faintly familiar, but their meaning lost.

Although the temple had a tranquil appearance, the distinct chill of fear filled every crease and crack of the structure, rising from each direction. The peacefulness had been nothing but a clever guise, a blanket thrown to cover up the truth. The truth was that this temple was meant for a dark purpose; a purpose that could do no good. The moonlight's radiant effects were no longer present. Everything turned shady and ugly; the shadows began to take a somewhat physical form. A tall man stepped out, laughing a deep, sinister laugh. Fear now hung heavily in the air. In the distance, a scream rang out.

The girl's own frightened scream woke her from her less than dreamless sleep. She sat up, her chest pounding as she surveyed her surroundings. It soon dawned on her that she was no where familiar, but instinct told her that she was in no danger. The living room was simple, yet comforting.

_What happened?_ Images flashed in her head. She remembered walking home from her ritual coffee run. _Then those…things grabbed me._ Entirely black bodies, horrifying twisted limbs, thin fingers with an unnaturally strong grip, and that glowing insignia. _Why do I feel like I've seen that symbol before?_ There were two boys, demanding her release. After that, her memory went blank. She groaned, putting her hands to her head in hopes of dulling the pain that seared between her eyes.

Slowly the sensation lifted. She felt bandages above her left eyebrow and her damp hair. _Why is my hair wet?_ A clash of thunder erupted outside the tiny window, immediately answering her question. She pulled back the grey comforter that had been placed upon her, noticing her original clothing was missing. Instead of the black leather jacket, purple and black striped tee shirt, and dark blue jeans, she was donning a white spaghetti strap and baby blue cotton shorts.

"Meow."

The looked down. A white and brown cat was slinking toward her. The cat lightly jumped in her lap and purred gratefully as she scratched behind its ears.

"It's good to see you are awake." Kurama smiled as he walked in. He sat on the couch opposite from the girl. "How is your head?"

"Oh! Fine." She instantly recognized him from the alley. It was hard to forget such beautiful red hair. "Thank you for earlier…um-?"

"Call me Kurama."

"Kurama," she repeated softly. The confusion swimming in her mind was becoming

unbearable. So much had happened, things she didn't fully comprehend at the moment and wasn't all convinced was reality. _Well, only one way to get an answer."_ She finally burst. "What exactly happened back there? In the alley? What were those things and what did they want with me?"

Before Kurama could give any form of explanation, a commotion could be heard from the next room. "Perhaps we should go to the kitchen."

"Come on Urameshi! You can't possibly think it was all coincidence? You and Kurama take a stroll down who-cares and that girl just happens to be attacked my things that aren't from this world?"

"What are you saying Kuwabara?"

"I'm saying it's too suspicious! It has set-up written all over it!"

"You saw her! What could she possibly be?"

"She could be a brain-sucking alien form an alternate dimension!"

"Well, if she is a brain-sucking alien, I hope she gets to you first, not that it would distract her for long."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Figure it out! Just don't hurt yourself!"

"Why you-"

"Ahem!"

Yusuke and Kazuma Kuwabara dropped their argument at Kurama's interruption. Beside him stood the rumoured 'brain-sucking alien,' Kuwabara's cat, Eikitchi, cradled lazily in her arms and the grey comforter hanging loosely from her shoulders.

She was a classic beauty with a slight dash of sensuality. Her skin was pale, the colour of ivory. Her shiny raven black hair shone under the fluorescent kitchen lights; the tips touched her lower back. Despite all she had been through, it was completely straight, as if she had just brushed it. Her most stunning feature was apparent. Her eyes were dramatic in shape and were such a deep blue, it was as though she held the night sky in them, stars included; in the blue depths of her eye were flecks of silver here and there. She was of average height, 5'5 at the most. Her build was generally slender, with just the right amount of curve where there was supposed to be. She giggled as Kuwabara's face flushed and his eyes shifted to the floor. Her voice was soft, like a summer breeze. Her smile showed straight teeth.

Yusuke wore a triumphant sneer, knowing he was right. There was nothing strange about this girl and it was apparent she was human. Kuwabara's sister, Shizuru sat at the kitchen table. She looked slightly amused by her brother's embarrassment; she took a drag from her cigarette. The entire room remained awkwardly silent for several moments.

Finally Shizuru broke the silence. "Why don't you sit down?"

The entire room seemed to sigh in relief as time resumed.

"Wait sis, there are five people and only four chairs-"

"So be a gentleman and offer the pretty little lady yours," Shizuru replied as she reached for one of the legs on Kuwabara's chair. He gave a yell of mingled surprise and pain as he tumbled to the floor; Shizuru having swiftly pulled the chair out from under him. Shizuru slid the chair towards the girl; both she and Kurama took a seat, the girl let the cat down before doing so. Kuwabara managed to pull himself up and was forced to stand nearby. His faced burned red.

"Yusuke," Kurama started, sounding incredibly business-like, "I was about to explain to-"

"Setsuko. Setsuko Nagasawa."

"To Setsuko about…well-"

"The demons," Yusuke offered.

"Yes."

"Those things were demons?" Setsuko asked. She looked to Yusuke with an expression an interested school kid would give a professor.

"Well, they weren't kittens," Yusuke said sarcastically. With that, Yusuke began to delve into past adventures as a Spirit Detective. He spent the next hour and a half explaining about the the demon and spirit worlds, introduced the rest of the table, mentioned Koenma, and described several of his fights and rivals, with help Kurama every now and then. Through out the whole conversation, Setsuko remained surprisingly calm, not reacting as most people would have upon learning that the human race wasn't the only one in existence.

"All this still doesn't explain _why_ these demons came after me, but it does shed some light on a few things. All these years and people though I was either imaginative or crazy, but really I can just sense other spirits and things like you guys. Is that why they attacked? Because I could sense them?" Setsuko asked as she ran her fingers through her now dry hair.

"I think the more important question is who sent them. They were a lower class of demon, not even literate; they couldn't have eve made it across the barrier alone. I have a feeling you were a target," Kurama said. He held his hand to chin as he continued to try and sort out the entire ordeal.

"Why would someone target me?"

"Maybe it was just stronger demon who likes practical jokes," Kuwabara suggested.

"Don't be stupid," said Shizuru.

"What were you doing in that part of town anyway?" Yusuke gave Setsuko a suspicious look. It was hard to tell people for what they really were these days. _Maybe Kuwabara's right…in a way. Anybody could by a prostitute of drug dealer._

"I was walking home from-_Oh shit!"_ Setsuko's eyes practically flew to the cat-shaped wall clock; it read 2:27- nearly two and a half hours after the curfew set by her strict, yet loving legal guardians. "Shit," she repeated as got up, "my parents are going to kill me!"

Kurama stood up as well. "I'll walk you home, just in case," he offered. Setsuko nodded, and then thanked the group for their help.

Yusuke also vacated his chair. "I guess I should go too, though my mom's probably too wasted to notice that I'm not home."

After bidding the Kuwabara siblings farewell, the other three walked together until Yusuke had to depart in the opposite direction. For twenty three more minutes, Kurama and Setsuko continued their walk, talking all the while. Kurama was pleased to find an individual as open minded as she was, and they quickly became friends. They talked about a varying range of subjects, including literature, paranormal experiences, and their opinions on natural selection. After exchanging contacts, Setsuko informed Kurama that they had reached their destination- an apartment building that was in slightly better condition than those surrounding it. Only two of its windows were broken, and the graffiti that had been sprayed on was less obscene.

"Well, thank you again," Setsuko said as she shook Kurama's' hand. "I'll call you if anything else happens."

Kurama scanned the building. Something was bothering him; he could feel an unusual aura coming from within its grimy brick walls. A chill ran through him as the faint yet unmistakably scent of blood wafted under his sensitive nose. "Perhaps I should take you inside as well," he said, his voice darker than usual. He seemed to be tensing up; Setsuko was strongly reminded of a dog that was being threatened, its fur bristling.

"If you insist." She couldn't think of anything that could possibly go wrong, except for the fact that her parents would be angry with her for returning home so late. Sure they rest of the building's inhabitants weren't exactly model citizens, but she had lived here her life and she knew how to deal with them. Still, she trusted Kurama; _He is a demon after. He can probably sense things like that._

She twisted the knob of the building's main entrance. As they walked through several hallways and up two flights of stairs, Kurama realized just how small of an income the Nagasawas received. Most of the walls looked as though they would crumble at the smallest disturbance; its cream coloured paint was peeling away at an astonishing rate, and he had counted at least seven cockroaches. At last, Setsuko reached the door to her family's dwelling; an alarm went off in Kurama's head. Something wrong had definitely happened. The source of the blood he smelled earlier was apparent.

"Setsuko, wait-" His warning came too late; the girl had already forced the door open.

Setsuko gave a scream of horror at the grisly sight that had once been her welcoming home. So much blood was dripping from the ceiling, it was as if a morbid rain had started to pour. It was smeared across the walls like macabre paint; even the floor had a slick, shiny coat of crimson. The stench was stinger than ever, even the human Setsuko could identify it. The furniture, although forever death stained, seemed perfectly intact and showed no sign of struggle. Kurama knew he could not stop the shaken girl from exploring the rest of the tiny apartment.

The kitchen held even more despair for the orphaned teen. Judging by the gore on the usually clean tiles, something or some one had lost limbs. There was a path of blood leading into a far corner, what was at is end confirmed the theory. Setsuko gave a lurch and clamped her hand to her mouth to keep the sick that was threatening to rise and expel itself. She saw her parents' bodies- or what pieces were in that particular area. Her father's leg was laying next to her mother's torso, his usual house slipper still on hi s foot. An ear was several inches way from her own foot; her mother's, as the rhinestoned lobe told. Father's green eye, mother's slender hand, another gashed arm, a jaw.

Body part after body part; organ after organ, Setsuko finally returned to the doorway. She was shaking violently, her eyes were wide and alert, but the rest of her demeanor was visibly exhausted from the tour of hell. It was too much for her; she flung herself into Kurama, sobbing heavily for her lost loved ones.

Kurama held her in a tight embrace, knowing that it was the only form of comfort he could give the grief-stricken teen at the present moment. Words meant nothing now. _The shock hit her hard._ He couldn't think of anyway to describe the murder scene. Any word seemed too sugar-coated. He continued to hold her, ignoring the fact that his front was sufficiently damp with her sorrow.

"It seems I arrived too late. I was hoping to get here before you two; I didn't want her to see it. Awful sight in there, isn't it?"

Kurama turned his head to discover the speaker. _At last, someone who hopefully knows the cause of all these recent events._ "Hello, Koenma."


End file.
